Thanks for the Memories
by lollypopf
Summary: Follows part of Imogen's second senior year-Focuses on how much she has changed from how she used to be and deals with her questioning which self she liked more. Jackogen/Fimogen drama.
1. Chapter 1-The Carpal Tunnel of Love

**This is my first fanfic, so please be kind with your criticism :) Though, any comments are appreciated! Not sure exactly how long this story will be yet, but I plan to keep adding to it as long as I continue to enjoy writing it and you guys continue to enjoy reading it. More chapters to come!**

****disclaimer-I do not own Degrassi nor any of it's characters****

**Chapter 1-** The Carpal Tunnel of Love

Imogen squinted her eyes as she felt the liquid running down her throat, leaving behind a slight burn. For so long she had avoided tasting any kind of alcohol, nervous of the consequences that may have come with it. Now, as she felt her face flush with heat, she couldn't believe she had waited so long to try it. _What's the worst that could happen? _she thought.

The girl had been through a rough year. Her father's condition continued to deteriorate, despite all of her best efforts to keep his mind current. She had been living with Natalie pretty much full-time, minus the occasional weekend whenever Louis was having good days. Though things with Natalie were more comfortable now, their relationship still did not compare to the one she had perfected with her father after years of practice.

Her second senior year started off much like her first one did. She was once again starting the school year without friends, being as Eli and Fiona had both graduated and moved on to the next chapters in their lives last May.

Adam had passed away during the summer, leaving Imogen with a sense of guilt over his tragic accident. She knew deep down it wasn't really her fault, but still could not grant herself complete forgiveness while feeling that _somehow_ she could have prevented it.

It wasn't until her unexpected friendship formed with the unlikely Becky Baker that things started to feel okay again for Imogen. She had someone to talk to again—to gossip with, and to laugh with, and to gab about secret crushes. The latest of which was Degrassi's own Jack Jones.

Jack mesmerized Imogen. The girl seemed to be an endless supply of talent and radiated a certain coolness that left Imogen feeling completely inadequate at first. She could not believe that this free spirited beauty would have any interest in her weird and eccentric self.

But the truth was that Jack really liked Imogen. She enjoyed how nervous she made the quirky girl and found her unjustified insecurity irresistible… It also didn't hurt that she found Imogen incredibly adorable.

After spending enough time around Jack, Imogen had begun to let go of her inhibitions. She was no longer afraid of taking risks and was becoming more open to the many experiences life had to offer the quirky girl.

While handing the flask back to Jack, she planted a quick kiss on her girlfriend's lips. She leaned against the girl's shoulder as the two of them sat on the floor of the dance studio, enjoying each other's company. "I hope you're happy with yourself, Miss Jones. You have successfully corrupted a once silly and innocent young girl into a rebel without a cause," Imogen joked. "You bring out my bad side!" she exclaimed while giving her girlfriend a slight nudge.

"Your bad side? _You_ don't have any bad sides!" Jack could not contain her smile as she thought about how endearing her girlfriend was. "Any teenager that still wears Hello Kitty pajamas and sleeps on PowerPuff Girl sheets is simply incapable of having a _bad_ side. It's physics."

"Hey! PowerPuff Girls are bad-ass!" her voice was slightly defensive. "And I can have a bad side. If not, would I be able to do this?" Imogen grabbed the flask away from Jack's grip and began taking swigs before the flask was tugged away from her possession.

"Okay, okay, you're a regular James Dean," she conceded, "now can you lay off the booze long enough for me to make out with my girlfriend in this stinky, sweaty dance studio?"

Imogen's heart raced at the request. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol beginning to take effect or if it was legitimate lust for the other girl, but in that moment she wanted nothing more than to comply. Wrapping her arms around Jack's neck, she answered the girl's question by pulling her in close and eliminating the space between their lips.

A couple hours passed as the girls continued goofing around in the studio.

"One last swig before we go?" Imogen asked.

"Not for me; I'm driving. Wouldn't want to endanger my newly corrupted girlfriend or anything" Jack grinned.

"I know sarcasm when I hear it, Jack Jones. But one day I will prove to you just how hardcore I can be. Don't be fooled by the pig-tails…all part of my master plan," she winked, before finishing off the liquid that remained in the flask.

"Enjoying your first tastes of adult beverage, I'm assuming?" Jack was astonished by how much Imogen was drinking, given the harsh taste that came with the flow of whiskey.

"Very much so, Jonesy! I feel so liberated!"

"What is Natalie going to think whenever I drop you off smelling like a sailor on leave?"

"Natalie can think whatever she would like. I've been through enough rocky seas to deserve to enjoy my fleet week," she countered, proud of herself for continuing the metaphor.

"Aye Aye, Captain," Jack whispered close to Imogen's lips. "And don't ever call me Jonesy again" she smiled.

As she leaned in to give the girl one last kiss before they left, Imogen's phone buzzed with a text from her mom.

7:24 PM-_Imogen Moreno, this is getting ridiculous. Answer your phone, I'm getting worried! _

She realized that this was the sixth text she received while being at the studio, along with three missed calls. Her phone had gone unnoticed while she was busy being intoxicated by both the liquor and by Jack's charms. Scrolling up, she read the other messages that her mother had sent to her:

5:35 PM-_You and Jack going to be late tonight? I ordered Chinese, it will be in the fridge._

5:49 PM-_Don't forget, curfew is 9:00 on school nights…_

6:45 PM-_Hey…someone just stopped by to see you. I think you'd really want to be coming home soon._

7:00 PM-_?_

_7:16 PM-When will you be home? It's rude to keep someone waiting._

"Jeepers!" Imogen said, annoyance evident in her voice. "Natalie is having a meltdown of epic proportions right now. I can't even go a couple hours sans my phone without her freaking out."

"Aren't you going to reply?" Jack did not want Imogen to get in trouble, and definitely did not want Natalie to think that she was influencing Imogen to ignore her mother.

"No, I'm not. We're going to be on our way back soon anyway, and she needs to learn that I'm almost nineteen and she can't expect me to just drop everything I'm doing whenever she decides to act like a concerned mother. Besides, whoever is _waiting_ for me at her house should have informed _me _of their plans to visit instead of dropping by unannounced. I can't just sit around waiting for unexpected visitors." Imogen leaned into Jack to finish their interrupted kiss.

Hearing her girlfriend say these things sent a sting to Jack's heart. She knew it was probably just the effects of the alcohol causing Imogen to talk so callously about her mother, but it was still unnerving to hear. She much preferred her girlfriend's bubbly attitude to this newfound blasé one. Jack felt a pang of guilt ring through her as she suddenly realized that maybe Imogen, though she was only joking, was right—Maybe she was bringing out a bad side of this innocent girl.


	2. Chapter 2-Calm Before the Storm

**This chapter is going to be somewhat short because it's at the stopping point I want it to be at. Chapter 3 will be longer. Thanks in advance to any readers!**

**Chapter 2**- Calm Before the Storm

"Please just chew this piece of gum before you go inside?" Jack was nervous about the possible consequences Imogen would face if her mother knew she had been drinking. She was even more nervous about leaving a bad impression on her girlfriend's mom.

"Would you stop being such a worrywart?" Imogen was shocked at how concerned the girl was over the situation. She had always known Jack to be very carefree and easygoing. Never had she imagined her girlfriend to get so worked up over her trying alcohol one time. She, herself, was known to enjoy the occasional drink, especially when she was doing something as dangerous as axe throwing.

"I'm sorry, it's just that…well I like you and I really enjoy spending time with you. I just don't want to mess up my chances of being able to see you as often as I can. So I think it's kind of important that your mother not think that I am taking her daughter out to get loaded every night, don't you?"

Imogen couldn't help but give a small laugh at the girl's apprehension. "Don't worry," she kissed her cheek, "Natalie will be fine. She's probably already upstairs, too preoccupied with the munchkins to even suspect any wrongdoings. Plus, I'm sure it will earn you points that you have me home thirty minutes before curfew" she said as she playfully poked at Jack's watch. "Now I'm going in to see about that Chinese food I was promised. You coming?"

"No, I think I'm just going to call it a night. I still have to get my cycling in before bed tonight and then attempt some science homework early in the morning. Meet you at your locker tomorrow?"

"You got it, Jonesy" Imogen winked.

"Hey! What did I say about that?"

"Sorry, last time. I promise!" Imogen gave Jack a quick kiss on the lips before saying goodnight and making her way to the front door of her home. She turned and waved goodbye before putting the piece of gum in her mouth and going inside.

"Mom?" Imogen didn't see her mother downstairs, so she proceeded to the kitchen to retrieve her dinner. While she was heating it up, she could feel her head starting to feel dizzy. She wasn't drunk, but still had a decent buzz and was hoping that the food would help to sober her up before her mother returned back downstairs. The last thing she wanted to hear was a lecture about the dangers of drinking at a young age. Well…she _thought_ that was the last thing she wanted to hear.

"Immy?"

The word shot through her spine immediately as she froze staring at the microwave. A voice she hadn't heard in eight months, still sounding as familiar as it did all that time ago. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or her nerves, but her heart was now pounding inside of her chest. A few seconds passed, each one feeling like an eternity, before Imogen was finally able to turn around and see the face of the girl responsible for her shock.

"Fiona?" Imogen could not believe her eyes. This felt like a cruel joke. "Why are you here?"


	3. Chapter 3- The Mighty Fall

**Chapter 3-** The Mighty Fall

"Well hello to you too," Fiona responded. "How are you? How have you been? It's good to see you…These are all typical things someone might say to their friend that they haven't seen in over half a year! But being greeted with a 'why are you here?' does have its certain charms," she laughed.

Imogen failed to find the humor. "Fiona…why are you here?"

"Wow, umm okay," the socialite was unsure of if she was sensing a hint of animosity in the younger girl's voice. "Well, I went to your dad's house first. His caretaker said that you mostly stay with your mom now, so then I came here. I didn't call first because I wanted to surprise you. I had kind of thought that you would be happy to see me. Natalie said that you were hanging out with a friend and that you shouldn't be too much longer, so I just decided to wait a little while until you got back…should I have called first…?"

"I was with Jack," Imogen grabbed her food from the microwave and sat down at the table across from where Fiona was now sitting.

"Ahh, is that your boyfriend?" There was a tease in the older girl's voice, as if questioning a child about their secret crush.

"No, Jack is not my boyfriend." She looked into her ex's bright blue eyes, hoping to see them dim at her next words. "_She _is my _girlfriend_."

"Oh, I see…" Fiona wasn't quite sure how to continue this conversation. She wasn't even sure of if Imogen wanted to her to be there. "Sooo, I definitely should have called first," the girl laughed awkwardly.

"_Why_ are you _here?_" her glare remained on the curly brunette.

This time Fiona had no doubts about the animosity in Imogen's voice. She didn't know _why_ it was there, but she was sure it was. Her heart began to sink as she realized that somewhere in those eight months the girl had stopped thinking of her as a friend, or as an acquaintance, or as anything else. Imogen had stopped thinking of her altogether, whereas she still thought of Imogen every day. Just as she was about to respond, they heard Natalie's weight shifting down the stairs.

"Great, as if this night could be getting any worse," Imogen shifted in her chair and then looked back at Fiona. "Look, you don't notice anything…_off _about me right now, do you?"

"What do you mean?" she gave the girl a puzzled look.

"I mean like my eyes—they look okay? And you don't smell anything in particular?" She placed her glasses on the table, allowing the socialite better viewing of her eyes.

Fiona looked into them and then realized exactly what the girl was asking. She was stunned that it had taken her this long to notice what was now obvious. The big brown eyes that she used to get lost in now had a slight glaze over them, surrounded by tiny red veins. As she inhaled, her nostrils were stung by a smell just faint enough to be recognizable. "Immy," her face fell, "have you been drinking?"

"Crap," Imogen exhaled, growing more worried as she heard her mother's footsteps approaching. "Natalie's going to freak."

Just as Natalie was walking into the kitchen, Fiona grabbed her purse and retrieved her favorite bottle of perfume from inside it. She aimed her bottle out towards Imogen's face and let a spritz of Chanel No. 5 fill the air. "Oops! Sorry, Im! Didn't mean to spray it so close to your face! You should go wash your eyes out just to make sure they don't start burning."

"You're probably right, I should…just in case." It didn't take long for her to catch on to what Fiona was doing for her. As much as she didn't want her ex's help, she figured it was the only chance she had right now at escaping punishment. "Hey, Mom!" She turned to face Natalie, while continuing to rub her eyes to feign an irritation from the perfume. "I'd love to stay and chat but as you can see Fiona has blinded me with her fancy pants smell-goods! Well…blinded me even _more_ than I already am," she laughed while motioning to her thick-framed glasses that laid on the table. Imogen began making her way to the bathroom. "Thanks for the Chinese! Give the little ones a goodnight kiss on the cheek for me whenever you go back upstairs!"

"Umm, okay then? Glad you've finally made it home!" Natalie raised her voice so that Imogen could hear it clearly as the young girl walked away.

After closing the door to the bathroom, she leaned against it hoping to hear Natalie going back upstairs. Instead, she heard a muffled conversation begin between her mother and her ex.

"So how excited was she to see you? Did she celebrate your arrival with one of her famous jumping/clapping combinations?" Natalie sounded enthusiastic.

"Well I think she was definitely shocked!" The disappointment in Fiona's voice was only distinguishable by Imogen.

"I can imagine! I'm glad you were able to surprise her. I was getting a little worried that she might not make it back in time to see you whenever I wasn't getting any responses to my texts."

"I'm sure she was just preoccupied with Imogen things," the socialite let out a small chuckle, "you know how she gets whenever she's taking pictures and stuff. She becomes so engrossed in her passions, it's as if the rest of the world doesn't exist!"

Imogen found herself growing annoyed at Fiona's comments. She knew that her ex was only trying to cover for her, but still she couldn't help but scoff at the older girl's assumption that she still knew anything about her anymore. A lot had changed in eight months. _I have bad sides now_, she thought to herself and smiled, remembering her conversation with Jack earlier.

The red head responded to Fiona with her own little laugh. "You're probably right. She's always off in her own little world! What are we going to do with that girl?" she asked rhetorically. "Well, I'm going to bed. I've still got a couple little monsters to read to. It was so good seeing you, Fiona, I hope you'll be stopping by again while you're still in town. Tell Blindy when she comes back in here that if her eyes continue bothering her then she needs to let me know."

"I will, Mrs. Granger. Thank you for letting me hang around here this evening. I probably won't be here too much longer tonight. It's getting kind of late, and I know Im has school tomorrow."

"Of course, dear, come anytime." With that, Imogen could hear her mother's footsteps growing softer and softer. Just as she was about to open the door and return to the kitchen she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

8:56 PM- _Your mom is going back upstairs…You can come back out now._


	4. Chapter 4- My Heart is the Worst Kind

**Chapter 4- **My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon

"You didn't have to do that. I didn't ask for your help." Imogen returned to her seat across from the socialite.

"You drink now?" Her voice was soft and melancholy. Fiona knew this simple fact would put a limitation on any friendship the girls could ever have, and she wanted no limitations when it came to Imogen.

"Don't look at me like that, Miss Pot Calling the Kettle Black. If there's one person that should definitely not be acting disappointed concerning liquor consumption, it's you." The words flew out of the young girl's mouth before she had a chance to rethink them. Her breath stopped and her stare lingered on her ex as she saw what had to have been Fiona's heart breaking. She had gone too far, and she knew it. "Fiona, I'm so sor-" The girl was interrupted by a fuming voice.

"How could you possibly say that to me? Do you now hate me that much? You've been short with me all evening and now you're throwing my addiction in my face?"

"I didn't mean-"

"Stop; I'm speaking. Let me finish." The older girl was now glaring, hoping that if she could just stay mad at Imogen for long enough it would restrain the thousands of tears that wanted to pour from her icy blue eyes. "It's obvious that you don't want me here, and that you have no interest in remaining friends. Which is really confusing considering the last email you had sent me. But you have no right to say those things to me. After everything we have been through together I can't believe that you would think so little of me. What's happened to you?" Sadness was beginning to replace her anger. A tear was now on the verge of breaking through. She wanted to get out of there as fast as she could before the other girl could see her cry.

"I shouldn't have said that. It was a low-blow and just came out before I even knew what I was saying." Imogen couldn't help but feel like a monster. What _had _happened to her? "I'm sorry." Her hand was on its way to being on top of Fiona's to comfort her before she realized what she was doing and jerked it back, returning it to the table. Old habits die hard. She hoped that her ex didn't notice the almost-handgrab. No matter how much resentment she still held for Fiona, her heart was now begging for forgiveness from the girl. She was confused as to how she could care for her and not care for her at the same time.

"Well as the _old_ you used to say—You can stuff your sorries in a sack. I'm going home." After grabbing her blue blazer off the back of the chair, she made her way to the front door.

Imogen remained sitting in her chair, watching as Fiona exited from her life once again. She was conflicted as to whether or not she should try to stop her from leaving so that she could apologize a thousand more times and explain to the girl why she was so upset and had been acting so harshly towards her all night. Her body lifted from its seat and started towards the door. As she reached the end of the kitchen, she heard her phone buzz from the table. She turned around to look at it, and then looked at the front door before changing her direction towards her phone.

A text from Jack:

9:16 PM- _So how badly did Natalie bust you tonight? Do I still have an incredibly adorable girlfriend or is she grounded until the end of days? ;)_

With that, Imogen shut off her phone, threw away her food, and commenced the long journey up to her bedroom.

Hours passed. The bright green numbers stared her in the face—11:48 PM…she rolled onto her back, leaving her alarm clock to now sit without an audience to watch its numbers change. _The ceiling is a MUCH better view_, she thought sarcastically. The events of the evening were persistently playing over and over in her mind, no matter how much she tried to think about anything else.

...

When Fiona graduated from Degrassi and left for Rome, they had sworn they would keep in touch. Email would be the best way to do it, the girls had decided, because Skype made Imogen nervous. "I don't want any creepy pervs hacking into my webcam and watching me while we chat!" the young girl would explain to Fiona, which never failed to bring a grin to her face when thinking of how silly Imogen could be.

While it had been eight months since Imogen had physically seen Fiona, it had only been five months since she sent her a last email. In the very beginning of that summer, emails were frequent. However, numbers quickly dwindled down as Imogen became preoccupied with being a Summer Camp leader…and preoccupied with Adam. She had thought this fling might help her to move past her feelings for Fiona, but instead all it did was cement just how strongly she still felt about her curly haired ex. After hearing of Adam's accident, Fiona reached out to Imogen (knowing only that the two were band-mates and friends), and soon the girls fell into an old routine of emails filled with jokes and the crazy events occurring in their lives. This did nothing to help Imogen get over Fiona. In fact, it did quite the opposite. It made her want the girl back even more. Her heart ached every time she looked at pictures the two had taken together during their relationship.

School had just started back up and being just-a-friend to Fiona was taking its toll on the young girl. She couldn't focus in any of her classes, as her mind was always on one person. She had to decide what she wanted and she had to ask for it. It was the only way she could finally put her mind at ease, and what she wanted was Fiona.

She opened her MacBook to compose a new message for the socialite—a message where she poured her heart out and told her ex that she was still all she thought about. She typed that it was a huge mistake breaking up with her that May, and that she wanted to try having a relationship again because Eli was right at Prom that night—having a long-distance Fiona was better than not having a Fiona at all. Everyone deserves a Fiona Coyne and where in the world would she find another?

As her fragile fingers raced over the keyboard, trying to keep up with the pace of her heartbeat, the girl noticed an alert pop up on FaceRange in a window she had open to the side of her email. Taking a pause from writing her letter to Fiona, she switched her focus to the FaceRange window to get a better look at the new alert:

_-Fiona Coyne has gone from being 'single' to being 'in a relationship' with Cecilia Papius-_

The young girl sat staring at her computer screen for exactly three minutes before discarding her email draft, and with it finally discarding her feelings for Fiona. She set it up to where incoming messages from her ex would now go straight to her spam, and then turned off her computer. Changing into her pajamas, Imogen began thinking of possible ways she could get involved and enjoy grade twelve as much as she could…_Degrassi News Channel_, she thought, _I think I'll start with that._

_..._

Thinking back on all that had transpired while Fiona was in Rome, Imogen's mind began to wonder—_Since I had deleted the email I was typing THAT night, what was the ACTUAL last email I sent to her?_ Her mind could not recall the words. She glanced over at those green numbers once again to see them illuminating 12:26 AM. _Well, it's not like I'll be falling asleep anytime soon_, she thought as she rose from her bed and grabbed her laptop, opening it curiously to see the last words she had written to the girl she once loved. She found it in her "sent mail" written two days before the one she had discarded-

_Greetings, Fiones! _

_I hope you're doing well! Sorry to hear about your jerk boss being an extra jerk-face the other day…you need to tell him that Fiona Celestine Arabella Coyne takes attitude from no man and that one day you'll own that whole damn design company! :) _

_School is okay so far, but it really makes me miss last year. Things were so much easier when you and Eli were by my side (mostly YOU though, because boys—ew, gross!) I can't wait until you can come back to Toronto and visit…I've been recording all things monkey-related so that we can binge-watch them together whenever you finally decide to grace us Canadians with your royal presence! _

_Now that the semester is started up, I might not be able to email as frequently. Feel free to keep sending me lots though about everything that is going on in your life and I will read them all/respond to them whenever I get a chance! I promise! _

_ Missing you heaps and elephant loads!_

_ -Im_

A droplet fell from the girl's eye as she was reminded of the many comical conversations she used to have with Fiona—how words used to flow so easily between them. The two had seemed so perfectly fit—_like peanut butter and jelly_, she thought. But she was no longer the girl that had written this email, despite how much she wished she could be.

She closed her computer and returned to her bed. Leaning over, she grabbed her phone off of her nightstand and powered it back on.


	5. Chapter 5- Miss Missing You

**Chapter 5**- Miss Missing You

12:45 AM- _I know that you probably don't want me texting you. I'm sure it won't be long before you just block my number and finally close the chapter on the weirdo girlfriend you had in grade twelve. I wouldn't blame you if you did. The things that I said tonight were horrible and completely undeserved. I'm not asking you for your forgiveness, but I am apologizing. I hope the rest of your trip in Toronto goes better than tonight did. Farewell, Fiona._

_-Im_

Imogen looked at the message, checking over it multiple times before finally hitting 'send'. She knew this might be the last text she ever sent to her, so she definitely didn't want it soured with spelling mistakes. Minutes later the girl finally drifted off to sleep.

…

"Good morning, my little James Dean!" Jack wrapped her arms around Imogen's waist and snuck in a quick kiss on the cheek as Imogen was pulling books out of her locker. "What happened to you last night? You went off the radar."

"Oh, I just uh… fell asleep kind of early. I was wiped." Imogen shifted her eyes downward, not wanting Jack to see the truth in them. She didn't know why exactly she was lying to her girlfriend about yesterday's events, but she figured it had to of been easier than explaining everything. Her history with Fiona was still a mystery to Jack, with the exception of the basics.

"Ahh, one of the many side-effects of binge-drinking—premature siestas!" Her voice was upbeat and Imogen could tell that she was in a very good mood today. "Did you at least finish your Bio homework?"

"Crud! I knew I was forgetting something!" After slamming her locker shut, she leaned against it and felt the stress begin to boil inside her.

"Wow, no need to overreact…you can just copy mine." Jack took her assignment out of her backpack and waved it around playfully. "Here you go, Miss Moreno!"

"Ugh, you're a lifesaver. How did you get to be so super-duper fantastic?"

"Years and years of practice, my lady. Years and years of practice." Jack smiled and interlaced her fingers with Imogen's, swinging their hands side to side. "But how about we agree that school night drinking is a bad idea? If for nothing more than your homework's sake?"

"Most certainly! My head has been pounding all morning!"

"Ha! I was expecting that! Honestly, I don't know how alcoholics do it every day! Those guys deserve some kind of medal for putting up with daily hangovers!" she joked.

"That's not funny," Imogen snapped back. Her voice was harsher than she had intended it, but Fiona had been on her mind all morning and the last thing she needed was another reminder of yesterday's disaster.

"Oookay, I'm sorry?" Jack didn't understand why that had struck such a chord with her girlfriend. After all, just yesterday they were joking freely about alcoholism.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just tired, I guess. And you know how cranky I can get when sleep-deprived," she said, faking a smile to try and prevent the conversation from going any further.

"Sleep-deprived? Didn't you fall asleep pretty early last night…?" She was now looking at Imogen in a confused and slightly suspicious demeanor.

_ Crap_, Imogen thought. "Yeah, but you know what I mean…the hangover and stuff. I'm just extra tired from that, I suppose."

"Oh…okay." There was an awkward silence. It was blatant to Jack that her girlfriend was leaving something unsaid, but she didn't want to press any further on the subject. Imogen's temper could be volatile as of late so she decided to leave it be and the girl would talk about whatever it was when she was ready. "Well, do you want me to walk you to History?"

"No, that's okay. I need to find Becky and ask her something before class." _Another lie. Why am I doing this? _her mind wondered_. "_ Meet you at lunch?"

"Yes ma'am!" Leaning in, she placed another quick but affectionate kiss on the other girl's cheek and then strode off in the direction of her first class. "It's a date!"

Imogen wiped the small smudge of red lipstick from her cheek, checked her phone, and then followed suit to her own class period.

…

History was even more boring than normal today. She simply could not get her mind to steady on anything her teacher was talking about, but she was pretty sure she heard the words "pop quiz" somewhere in the lecture. Instead, her thoughts were on Fiona. She hated how her ex was now living in her head, just as she was all those months ago. _How dare she just decide to come back here and show up at my house out of the blue? Invading all of my brain-space when I should clearly be paying attention to this stupid History class. I was perfectly fine before yesterday, and now I'm just as pathetic as I was at the beginning of the school year. _She checked her phone again. _Stop being so dumb, Moreno. She's not going to respond. _

The teacher began passing back pieces of paper, instructing the students to place their completed quizzes in the tray before leaving. Just as her test made its way to her desk, she felt her phone buzz inside of her pocket, causing her heart to skip a beat. Trying to avoid being caught with her phone during a quiz, she pulled it out just far enough to see the message. A text from Jack. Her face dropped a little as she opened the message.

8:48 AM- '_Texting and learning' is the 1,924th leading cause of death in Canada—but I'm risking those odds to tell you that I like you…a lot! :) Sorry things were weird earlier... Can't wait to see you at lunch!_

Reading the message surged a feeling of guilt through Imogen's conscience. Jack didn't deserve to be lied to. She had been a nearly perfect girlfriend and it was obvious how much she cared for Imogen. Just as she was tucking her phone away, she felt it shiver with another soft vibrate as she received another message.

8:49 AM- _It's okay…I mean how am I supposed to stay mad at you when you're such a sad sack?_

A smile crept across her face as she shoved her phone into her pocket. _Well, here goes nothing_, she thought. Picking up her pencil, she began taking her test—knowing that she was probably going to fail it, but not really caring.

* * *

**A/N: I have a busy weekend planned, so I probably won't be able to update with another chapter until next week. Hope everyone is enjoying this story! I'm loving writing it so far! :)**


	6. Chapter 6- XO

**Chapter 6**- XO

After placing her quiz into the designated tray, Imogen rushed out of the classroom very eager to focus her attention to her phone. Her next period was study hall so she would have plenty of time for non-school-related thoughts. She found a quiet corner of the room and sat down at an empty table, placing her schoolbooks on top of it so that it would appear she was studying for something important. When she thought the scene looked convincing enough, she pulled her phone out and reopened her last message.

Rereading it gave her feelings of nostalgia, thinking of the day she had used that same line to Fiona. _Back when we were soul mates._ Imogen was unsure of how she should reply to Fiona's text or if she should even reply at all. _I said my farewell, now its time for both of us to just move on. I'm sure she only replied so that there would be no hard feelings. I need to just let this go. _While still conflicted on what to do with the situation, she decided that she should probably respond to her girlfriend's text first, especially since she had acted so strange towards her that morning.

9:40 AM- _You are sweeter than candy, Jonesy! See you at lunch ;)  
__-P.S.: That was REALLY the last time, I swear! XoXo_

Once she hit 'send', she promptly reopened the text that was causing her so much confusion. She sat staring at it for a while with her fingers hovering over the keyboard, ready to type as soon as her brain would tell them which keys to press.

"What's got you looking so smitten?" Imogen raised her eyes to see Becky approaching her table. "Texting flirty things to the missus?"

Imogen straightened her body in her chair, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Something like that," she lied.

Becky sat down across from her and took out her own binders. "Ah, so I assume things are better between you two now? Jack had texted me earlier asking if I knew of something that might be going on with you. She said things were a little off with you this morning and thought maybe something had happened with your dad?" The blonde was now looking at Imogen with concern.

"My dad is fine," she retorted, "well as fine as he's going to be, I guess. And I really wish that if Jack had a concern about me then she would just ask _me_ about it instead of whoever else." Imogen didn't know why she was so defensive about this. After all, _she_ was the one who was lying to her girlfriend.

"Calm down, Im, she was only trying to help. You know she just cares a lot about you…we both do." Becky's voice was uneasy.

Imogen could tell that she had hurt her feelings. She let out a breath, and with it let out the frustration she was feeling inside. "I'm sorry, you're right. Thank you for being concerned, but really I'm fine. Everything is fine. I just have a lot of school stuff that I have to do so I'm a little stressed. Do you mind if I just have a little alone time so that I can try and knock some of this out before lunch?"

"Umm…Okay then, I suppose I can do that. I'll just go study over there," she motioned. She then began collecting her books. "You promise everything is all right?"

Imogen flashed a quick but sincere smile at her friend. "I promise, Becks."

Once Becky had departed from her study space, Imogen immediately retrieved her phone. Upon opening it she was surprised to see that her ex had just delivered another message to her inbox:

9:46 AM- _Sooo, I've been cleaning the loft all morning (ME cleaning? Crazy, I know) and discovered a few things that you had forgotten here before I left. If you want you can swing by the loft and pick them up…or if you prefer I can drop them off at Natalie's while you're at school—that way you wouldn't have to worry about seeing me or whatever. Up to you! Just let me know._

Imogen did not even have to think about what her reply would be because she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

9:47 AM- _I can swing by and get them after school. 4:30 sound good?_

She waited impatiently to hear her phone buzz again. After three tortuous minutes it finally did.

9:50 AM- _Sounds fab, see you then!_

Grinning, she put her cellphone away and began to copy her girlfriend's homework assignment.

…

"Where is your mind today, Moreno?" Jack was waving her hand in front of Imogen's face.

"Huh?" She snapped back to reality and then looked down at her food and realized that she had been at lunch for fifteen minutes and not even touched it yet. "What were you saying?"

Jack sighed. "Well I wasn't _saying _so much as I was _asking. _Do you want to do something tonight? As in a date?" She looked at her girlfriend hopefully. "I know we just hung out yesterday but I'm not tired of you yet so I'd really like to keep pushing my luck. Who knows, maybe tonight could be the night that I finally get bored of you!" she joked. "But probably not. I'd say we have _at least _two more weeks of honeymoon phase in us." Jack poked her girlfriend's side, sending a slight tickle through Imogen.

"Oh is that so? You mean I only have to put up with you for two more weeks?" Imogen teased back while tossing a fry at the other girl. "That is, if you don't die from a tragic 'texting and learning' accident first."

"Hey, it's a serious threat!"

"And you're a serious cheese-ball!" Imogen leaned in to give her girlfriend a kiss.

"Maybe…but you like me," Jack whispered after pulling her lips away from Imogen's.

The quirky girl picked up another fry and shook it at her girlfriend. "Only for two more weeks."

The girls continued eating their lunch and joking around for the remainder of the period. When the bell rang, Jack grabbed both of their trash and began to walk towards the receptacle. "So about tonight, was that a yes? You never answered earlier."

Imogen fell into step beside her girlfriend, wondering how to gently turn her down. "I really want to, but I can't tonight. I have a history assignment that I _need_ to get done, or else I won't be graduating from Degrassi until the niners do. Rain check?"

"Fiiiiine, I guess I'll just cycle for twice as long tonight. But it's going to be your fault when my calves become too big to fit into my jeans!" Jack tossed their food then grabbed the other girl's hand. "Now are you ready to conduct some mind blowing experiments in Biology?"

"Only if you promise not to drop the lit Bunsen Burner again…"

"That was a month ago! You have really got to build a bridge, Moreno. Holding grudges will get you no where except miserable." She pulled Imogen in close and slid her arm around the girl's waist.

As they walked to their next class, Imogen couldn't help but think about just how true Jack's comment was. She decided that today would be the perfect day to start building a bridge.


	7. Chapter 7- Dead On Arrival

**Chapter 7**- Dead On Arrival

Imogen stood in front of that familiar door as her body was weighed with all sorts of feelings. She remembered what kind of hold this girl used to have on her heart and she knew that coming back to the loft would flood her mind with memories of what used to be—memories that might not be so easy to let go of again. She thought about just turning around and rushing to Jack as fast as she could to tell her that she had changed her mind about that date and wanted so much more than two more weeks with her. She would apologize for lying and for being so secretive about Fiona. She would tell her all the painful details of their relationship and explain how hard it was for her to move on. But these were just thoughts—thoughts she didn't quite have the strength to commit to.

Her hand hit against the door quickly at a pace that matched her racing pulse. Panic began to set inside the girl as she heard footsteps approaching the doorway. _Why am I so darn nervous? Just in and out. Get my stuff then leave. Simple. _

The door opened, slowly revealing the curly haired socialite. Imogen felt her heart beat even faster. This time she didn't have alcohol curving her emotions or calming her nerves…this time whatever happened was real.

"Hey, Immy, come on in," Fiona said with a small smirk, not quite sure of how to act.

Imogen obeyed, taking a few steps inside of the loft. "Hey," she replied as her eyes wandered around her surroundings. It seemed like each inch of the loft had its own designated memory from when the girls used to spend so much time there together. Her gaze found a stack of Olivia Wilde movies resting on the coffee table. _Some things never change, _she thought, smiling internally.

Fiona watched quizzically as the girl stood looking around her home. "Umm, is everything okay?"

Snapping out of it, Imogen turned to face the girl, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry. Being here just brings back a lot, you know? Like from before…" her voice trailed off.

"I know what you mean. When I got back here on Wednesday the first thing I saw was the little robot dog that you had given me. I felt like it was staring at me from the kitchen counter, scolding me for abandoning it without someone to properly feed and water it," she chuckled. Imogen could not help but return the laugh as her nerves began to fall away. "So you're probably wondering where all your stuff is, right? I packed it all up in a little box for you in my bedroom. I'll go get it. Be right back, kay?" Fiona began to take steps towards her room.

"Wait," Imogen latched onto the other girl's arm to turn her around before she could walk away. "Do you think we could just talk first? Or is that completely off the table after what happened yesterday? If so, I understand. I just-"

"It's not off the table," Fiona interrupted, as she began pulling the younger girl towards the couch. "Sit." Imogen took her seat on the big sofa and wiggled into the corner where her body still fit so comfortably. "Do you want some juice to drink or something?"

"Sure. Do you have bana-"

"Banana, strawberry, and mango with a dash of cinnamon?" Fiona recalled instinctually.

Imogen's face lit up as her eyes met the other girl's. "Wow, your memory is as superior as your style is, Miss Coyne."

Fiona smiled. "It's been eight months, Imogen, not eight years. And when you have a weirdo girlfriend with such odd tastes, it takes a lot longer than eight months to forget these kinds of things." She walked into the kitchen and began fixing their drinks as Imogen secretly watched her from the couch, trying hard not to admire her beauty but failing miserably. Fiona started walking back to the living room, drinks in hand, and the younger girl quickly diverted her attention elsewhere. "Here you are, ma'am, that will be six thousand dollars," she said as she handed her ex the fruity concoction.

"Can I split that over fifteen credit cards?" Imogen joked.

"Abso-fruitly!" Fiona's face beamed as she waited for some acknowledgement for her pun. "Get it?"

The tan girl shook her head from side to side in pretend disappointment. "Gosh, even Rome can't cure dorkiness. You're hopeless, Fiones."

Fiona sat down an appropriate distance from Imogen, trying not to appear completely flustered by her ex using her old nickname. Hoping to prevent herself from blushing, she quickly opened up a new conversation. "So if I have to go to the restroom or something, I don't have to worry about you spiking your drink while I'm gone, right?" There was a lightness in her voice, but at the same time this was a topic that she definitely wanted to discuss.

Imogen took a deep breath as she was brought back to the reality of everything that had happened the day before. "Yesterday was the first time I had ever tried any kind of alcohol. I don't plan on making a habit out of doing it, it was just something I wanted to try. To see what all the fuss was about, you know?" Fiona nodded, knowing all too well. "I guess that was probably the _worst_ day you could have picked to make your grand return—the things I said, Fiona…" She looked at the other girl, her eyes apologetic. "I'll never forgive myself."

The older girl's heart broke as she saw the sincerity in her ex's chocolate brown irises. "Well then I guess it's a good thing that I can forgive you enough for the both of us," she said, nudging the other girl playfully in hopes of lightening the mood. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

Imogen's thoughts started to clash together in her head. There was so much she wanted to say to Fiona—so much that she wanted to explain and to get explanations for. As her mind raced, her emotions began to build and she could feel everything she had been feeling for the past eight months resurfacing inside of her. Her head was feeling light and her chest heavy as her heart was pulling all of the blood in her body through it. In fear of erupting, she latched on to the only four words that made sense to her at the time—four words that were so much easier said than felt. "You broke my heart."

Fiona, mid-sip, choked a little on her juice as the unanticipated words slammed into her ears. She repositioned her body on the couch to face the younger girl completely, allowing her baffled blue eyes to catch Imogen's stare. Unable to find anything in her head or heart to reply with, she sat silently, praying that this conversation would go in any other direction.

It didn't.


	8. Chapter 8- Love Will Tear Us Apart

**Chapter 8-** Love Will Tear Us Apart

Imogen could feel a lump welling up in her throat as panic set in and she realized what she had just said. "That's not exactly how I wanted that to come out," she exhaled, trying not to stumble over her words. Fiona's expression remained one of complete bewilderment from how quickly the mood had changed in the room. "I'm just trying to explain what yesterday was about. Let me start over?" The older girl nodded. "Fi, whenever you left Canada you were still all that I thought about. Then our conversations started to grow farther and farther apart because of summer camp and everything and that sucked because it felt like a huge part of my life was missing. But after Adam di-" her voice cracked a little at the mention of his name. "You started emailing me again more frequently and well that almost sucked even more because it was like I could only say half of the things that I wanted to say to you—the things I was feeling." Imogen's words were rushed as she attempted to fit eight months worth of thoughts into small sentences.

Fiona's brow creased as she tried to slowly digest everything her ex was telling her. "What did you want to say to me?" Her body eased as the initial shock of the conversation began to wear off.

The younger girl's eyes grew heavy from withheld tears. She hated herself for wanting to cry right now. "It really doesn't matter anymore."

"Im, just tell me…" Fiona outstretched her arm, gently placing her hand on top of her ex's that was resting on the couch.

The physical contact sent a tremor through Imogen's body and she quickly withdrew herself from Fiona's comforting touch. "That I was still in love with you! Are you happy now? I wanted to say that nothing would ever feel the same without you and that I didn't care if we were three thousand miles apart or three million miles apart, if I could just call you my girlfriend again then the distance would all be worth it eventually!" Her voice elevated as the tears began to escape her eyes' restraint.

The older girl attempted to catch Imogen's gaze with her own, but failed as her ex continued facing forward—her stare fixated on what seemed to be the black screen of the television. Seeing her so distraught was unsettling for Fiona, but she tried to keep her voice calm. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Imogen scoffed. "I tried. I wrote you this stupid gooey email that pretty much went over everything I just said. Literally the second I was about to send it, FaceRange shoved your new relationship in my face. You had moved on, so I decided that I needed to do the same…and I did."

The socialite shifted her hair to one side of her neck as she felt her face flush with fervor. "So is that why you deactivated your FaceRange account…? And stopped responding to my emails? You were still my best friend—I had so much that I needed to talk to you about. I thought that you were maybe too busy with school or with your dad or something, which would have been completely understandable…but this was all because of me pursuing a new relationship with someone else?" She began shaking her head with disappointment. "Really, Im? Our friendship meant so little to you that you would just drop it over something like that?"

"It destroyed me, Fiona. _You _destroyed me." Imogen now turned to face the other girl.

Fiona's tone quickly changed from calm to distressed as she became offended. "Youdestroyed _us_!Or did you forget who broke up with whom?"

Imogen was taken aback by her ex's sudden anger. She slumped into the cushions, overwhelmed with a feeling of defeat. "I was so scared of change…you were going off into your new exciting life to meet new exciting people and I was still going to be here—just a weird loner Imogen Moreno that sits at home and watches Harry Potter on the weekends. I didn't want to hold you back from what you _really_ wanted. I wanted _you _and _you_ wanted Rome." She rolled her eyes as the words left her mouth, feeling stupid for rehashing the same argument they had already shared all that time ago. "This is so pointless, I don't even know why I'm here. I'm just going to get my stuff and go." Pushing her body up, she lifted off of the couch.

"We are not done here! You can't just say all of these things and then leave, it's not fair." Imogen stood watching as Fiona reached in front of herself and grabbed a Kleenex from the coffee table. She dabbed the running mascara that was making its way to her cheek. "I wanted both, Im. I wanted Rome," she turned her head so that she could see the younger girl, "_and_ I wanted you." Letting out a breath, her forehead relaxed a little. "Which is what I told you on graduation day. I told you that I would do whatever it took to make this work, and I meant it." She ran her fingers through her own long brown curls and propped her feet onto the small table. "You can put all of the blame on me, Imogen, if that's what it takes to help you move on. But deep down you know as well as I do that I didn't cause this."

The room fell quiet. Imogen remained standing, her eyes engrossed by the black smudges on Fiona's Kleenex. _How did it get this bad? _she thought, letting their conversation sink in. Seconds continued to pass, each one the length of a lifetime. Finally, the young girl was able to break the silence. "You never told me why you were here."

"It's my house, genius, I live here," she stated with derision.

Imogen cautiously sat back down on the couch, unsure of if it was even appropriate to return to her seat after everything that had just transpired. "No, not _here_," she waved her hand in a circle. "In Toronto. Why are you back in Toronto? Shouldn't you be spending your vacation in New York or something?"

Fiona removed her feet from the table and tucked them under her legs. "Oh, did I leave out the best part to all of this?" Her question was filled with sarcasm and annoyance. "I'm _here_ because of _you_."

Imogen felt her head starting to throb and she suddenly became very aware of how physically and emotionally exhausted she was. She let out a sigh and pinched the top of her nose, wrinkling her brow. "Fiona, what does that even mean?"


	9. Chapter 9- This Ain't a Scene

**Chapter 9-** This Ain't a Scene…

Fiona removed her heels and leaned her back deep into the cushion, trying hard to make herself more comfortable in this very uncomfortable situation. "Mom Skyped me two weeks ago. She said that there is no point in them keeping the loft anymore and that Dad wanted sell it unless I had a good reason for them to continue holding on to it."

"What did you tell her?" The young girl tried to hide her curiosity.

"I told her that I didn't know if I still had a good reason or not. Then I asked her if she could hold off for a little while so that I could come and see if there was still something left for me here…well, _someone…_" her voice trailed. She grabbed her glass from the coffee table and finished off the remaining juice. "Ugh, it's all warm now," she murmured, making a face of disgust before returning the empty glass to the table.

Imogen went over hundreds of responses in her mind, feeling incredibly pressured by this conversation. "Fiona…I have a-"

"A girlfriend, I know, I haven't gone completely mental. I know you've moved on now and if there's anything that coming here has taught me, it's that things change—people change. I just couldn't close the door on this without knowing for sure, you know? I mean it was _you._" She gave a small shrug. "I guess I just always kind of had this thought in the back of my mind that it would somehow work out for us one day. Something was always missing with the other girls I tried dating…it just didn't feel like…like…"

"Soul-mates." Imogen finished for her. She leaned her head back and let her eyes search the ceiling.

The socialite's mouth formed a crooked smile upon hearing the memorable phrase. She, too, allowed her head to fall against the cushion behind. "Yeah, exactly," she whispered. For the first time that evening there was a sense of peace in the room. The silences were no longer awkward voids and the words were no longer penetrating fills.

"Hey, do you remember what I told you whenever you were trying to set me up with Eli last year? About me putting my feelings for him in a rocket to the moon?"

Fiona gave a small chuckle remembering how ridiculous it was to trying to force a romance between Imogen and Eli. "Of course I do. You said that if you ever needed those feelings again then you knew exactly where to find them—on the moon."

Imogen rolled her head to the left to now look at her ex. "Well that's kind of how it was with you. Except I couldn't just send yours to the moon…What I felt for you was so intense that I had to send them to a whole new galaxy, or else I'd have been way too tempted to hop on the next rocket ship out of Toronto to go up and bring them back."

"Wow, a whole new galaxy," she teased. "I feel so honored." Her eyes met Imogen's and the girls shared a smile.

The younger girl's heart gave a small pang and her mind wondered very briefly just how much it would cost for a round-trip ticket to that galaxy. She pushed the thought out of her head, then fixed her focus back to the ceiling. "I'm really sorry, Fiona—for what I said, for how we turned out, and well…for everything," she sighed.

"I am too, Immy." Fiona picked up the pillow that was resting beside her and tossed it at the other girl, "but it _was_ mostly your fault," she joked before sticking out her tongue.

Imogen caught the pillow between her arms and set it on top of her lap. She couldn't help but notice that it smelled like Fiona's perfume and she hoped that the scent would linger for as long as she continued holding it. "Fair enough," she rolled her eyes playfully. "Does that mean we're okay? Friends?"

"Friends," Fiona agreed.

The tan girl directed her attention to the stack of Olivia Wilde movies that she had spotted when she first arrived. "Soooo, are we the type of friends that still watch movies?"

Fiona turned to see the girl looking at her DVDs. "Only if we're the type of friends that still love popcorn."

"Whoa, slow down, Fiones! We've only just made up and you're already bringing up popcorn? That's moving a tad fast, don'tcha think?" She giggled and tossed the pillow back at her ex, hating herself after she realized that she had just surrendered over her only source of that heavenly aroma.

Swatting the pillow away, Fiona got up and began opening the disc-case for _People Like Us. _"Shut up, weirdo. I thought you _liked _intense friendships?"

"I jest! I jest! I'll get the popped corn and you grab the blankies!" She skipped into the kitchen, knowing exactly which drawer to open to find her desired snack. As she pulled out a package of popcorn a thought crossed her mind. "Umm, Fiona?"

"Yes, Miss Moreno?"

"Does popcorn expire?" The girls looked at each other quizzically before Imogen shrugged, took off the plastic wrapper, and stuck it in the microwave. Fiona laughed at her silly ex as she made her way into the bedroom to grab some blankets. Seeing the time on the microwave made Imogen realize she had already been at the loft for over an hour and a half. She went to her purse to retrieve her phone, hoping that it had remained undisturbed while she was there. Pulling it out, she discovered that it had not. Two texts from her girlfriend had been lingering in her inbox:

4:52 PM- _How goes your History, my fair lady? _

6:08 PM- _Call me when you get a chance, lots to talk about…_

"Everything okay?" Fiona asked, seeing Imogen staring intently at her phone.

Startled, she snapped her head up and flashed the curly haired brunette a bright smile before typing a quick '_It's going well, I'll call when I can' _into her phone and pressing the send button. She plopped onto the couch, this time with Fiona just a tad closer than before, and pulled the blanket over herself while waiting for the other girl to press 'Play'.

The older girl shifted her body so that she could face Imogen before signaling with her finger for the girl to come closer. "Want to know a secret?" she asked, teasingly.

Imogen hesitated then leaned in, slightly confused and extremely nervous. "Yeah?"

Fiona smiled, as she leaned over even further and paused her mouth about six inches from her ex's ear. "You forgot the popcorn," she whispered and then nudged the younger girl away playfully.

_Crap_, Imogen thought. "Be right back!" She threw her blanket on top of Fiona, ran into the kitchen, and quickly dumped the popcorn into a giant bowl. When she returned, she threw a fluffy kernel at the socialite who then picked it up and chucked it into her mouth.

"Oh my god," the girl's face quenched. "Popcorn _definitely_ expires."

Imogen laughed before grabbing her own handful of the snack and depositing it into her mouth. "Oh well," she countered, "as long as it's still salty!"

Fiona shook her head and mumbled out a "whatever, weirdo" as she pressed 'play' on the rest of their night.

* * *

**A/N: I'm still really enjoying writing this, so there's more to come...but once again it's the weekend, so my next updates might not be until next week. I *may* be able to get another chapter out sometime tomorrow, but no promises! :)**


	10. Chapter 10- It's An Arms Race

**Chapter 10-** …It's An Arms Race

Imogen opened her eyes groggily, taking in her surroundings. It took a few seconds for her to remember where she was. The room was dark, with the exception of the light shining from the TV displaying the disc menu. To her left, her ex was sleeping peacefully against the cushions of the couch and Imogen could not help but admire how vulnerable the girl still looked when she slept. Quietly, she pulled off her blanket and searched her purse for her phone. The screen lit up to reveal it was a quarter past eleven at night and that she had received two more texts since she'd been asleep—one from her mother and one from Jack:

9:15 PM- _Are you sleeping over at Fiona's?_

10:06 PM- _Well I'm going to bed…just call me tomorrow if you find the time._

Her head flooded with guilt as she stared at the second message for a few more seconds. She tried to think of a perfect excuse to reply with for why she had not been able to call, but the only reason that kept returning to her mind was the truth—that she had been with Fiona all evening watching movies while catching up and reminiscing, and that she was enjoying it so much that she completely lost track of time before passing out on her ex's couch. Thinking it over, she decided just to wait and talk to Jack the next day in hopes that she could figure out a way to avoid hurting her girlfriend more than she already had. Hitting reply on her mother's message, she typed a simple '_no' _and hit send.

Imogen stood up and then glanced back down at Fiona who still lay undisturbed. She debated on if she should wake her up to tell her goodbye, but instead fixed the blanket on top of the dozing beauty and made her way into Fiona's bedroom to get her things. She found the box labeled "Immy's Stuff" sitting on the king sized bed. When she turned around she saw a packet of papers resting on top of the socialite's vanity in an envelope stamped with the large red words "First Class Mail". Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she picked up the packet and began to sift through the pages, discovering that Fiona had received a job offer at a fashion company in New York that she hadn't yet accepted. It struck her as odd that the girl hadn't mentioned this little detail during their night together whenever they were catching up. She replaced the packet and began to head towards the door with her box.

As Imogen's hand touched the doorknob to the loft's exit, her ex's voice called out from the living room. "Im? Are you leaving?"

She turned around to see Fiona rising from the couch, her hair slightly disheveled but still perfect by any normal person's standards. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. It's past eleven."

"Oh, wow. Guess Olivia Wilde was a lot less sexy in the second movie than she was in the first one," the older girl laughed while softly rubbing her eyes. "You know you're welcome to stay if you want to? If it's too late-"  
"Fiona," she breathed, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Well one of us would sleep on the couch, obvi! Relax, Immy, I'm not trying to seduce you." Fiona rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying if you're too tired then you're welcome to stay. No pressure. No strings. No tickle-fights."

Imogen smiled, looking softly at her ex. "Well as long as there are no tickle-fights," she said before her brain reminded her that this could only make her situation with Jack worse. "Actually, I really need to go home. I'm not _that_ tired and besides, I literally just told Natalie I would be going back tonight. I don't want her to get the wrong idea if I suddenly text her that I'm staying."

Fiona turned on a small lamp in the corner of the room and walked towards the door to stand closer to Imogen. "Suit yourself, Crazy. At least let me know when you make it back to your house? I have to make sure the Death-Eaters don't get ya."

Imogen beamed, overwhelmed with pride for the girl's Harry Potter reference. Before they had met, Fiona had never even seen any of the movies, let alone been able to reference any of them. "As you wish, muggle," she assured with a wink.

"Soooo," Fiona took a small step closer, "are we still the type of friends that hug?"

"Fiones!" Imogen turned and set her box down on the floor before returning her attention back to the other girl. "Hugging is not only allowed, but encouraged!" The younger girl outstretched her arms enthusiastically. Then it swiftly hit her—the last time she hugged Fiona was at graduation night whenever she was setting her free to go off into the world without a girlfriend tying her down. She remembered hugging the girl she loved so tightly and never wanting to let go, convinced that she would never find another hug that felt as safe and warm as a Fiona Coyne hug. Her nerves started to stir inside of her and every second that her ex grew closer was another second that her heart was skipping a beat. She was suddenly scared to hug Fiona—and scared of not wanting to let go.

Fiona pulled away from the hug after an appropriate amount of time to ensure that Imogen would not think she was trying to put the moves on her or anything. The socialite looked down perplexed when she saw a tan hand still resting above her waist. "Umm, Im?" She shifted her blue eyes up to meet the other girl's and then back down to signal towards the hand.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry!" Imogen blushed and then jerked her hand away feeling completely embarrassed. "I just… I have to go, Natalie is waiting for me to get home!" She picked up her box and fumbled at the doorknob until Fiona intervened and opened it for her. "Thanks…" she looked at the older girl then hurried out into the hall.

"Bye?" Fiona's hesitant voice trailed as the door closed in front of her.

Imogen's heart throbbed inside her chest as she tried to regain her composure. She leaned against the wall in the hall and then slowly slid down until she was sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her with the box resting on her lap. She could not get the hug out of her head—how it felt to have her ex's arms around her again; the curly hair that brushed past her cheek as her head moved across the girl's shoulder; the smell of the elegant girl leaving her even more inebriated than she had felt after guzzling whiskey the day before. She didn't know exactly when, and she didn't know exactly how, but at some point during the night that galaxy that held everything she ever felt for Fiona had exploded, sending a meteor shower of old feelings to rain back down on her.

Still sitting there, Imogen found herself craving so much more than just a hug. Every urge in her body wanted her to jump up and march right back into that loft to start from exactly where they had left off eight months ago. Clicking her phone, the time was revealed as well as her background picture of Jack—It was one of the first pictures she had ever taken of her girlfriend. They had gone on a hike in the woods and came across a small blue colored bird hopping on the ground with an injured wing. Jack picked it up and held it until they were able to find a box for the girl to put it in and bring home. Imogen smiled as she remembered seeing Jack and the bird through her camera lens. _This is so stupid! I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND! A girlfriend that I really like and is sweet and caring and has never done anything wrong…pick yourself up and go home…just pick yourself up and go home. Just. Pick. Yourself. Up. And. Go. Home! _She kept repeating this phrase to herself over and over, but the only thing she picked up was her hand as she gave a couple small barely-audible taps to the door of the loft. _If she doesn't hear, it means she's already gone to bed and I can finally just leave. _

The younger girl stayed waiting fretfully and forgetting to exhale. Five seconds passed. Then another. Then another. She let out a deep breath and stood up with her box. After exactly three steps towards the stairs, she heard the door creak open behind her and halted immediately in her tracks. She stood still for three more silent seconds until the box plunged from her hands to the floor and she turned around quickening her step towards Fiona. Before the baffled socialite could say anything, the younger girl's hand wrapped around the nape of her neck, and pulled her face in, crashing their lips together. Neither girl needed a reminder of how to kiss the other and after the door slammed, muscle memory continued to take over.


	11. Chapter 11- 7 Minutes in Heaven

**Chapter 11-** 7 Minutes in Heaven

Fiona's arms wrapped around the small of Imogen's back as the younger girl continued holding onto her neck, easing backwards towards the couch as they continued kissing. The kisses were much less chaste than the ones they had shared before. It was as if eight months of separation had lit a wild fire inside of them, burning up any thought of slowing down. Fiona released her ex onto the couch and climbed on top of her until Imogen shifted her weight forward and pushed Fiona deep into the cushions. Her tan nervous hands were now pulling upwards on the older girl's silk blouse, guiding it rapidly over the gorgeous head of thick curly hair. She tossed the shirt to the floor and then charged her lips down to the socialite's neck, giving it small passionate bites.

Fiona gave out trifling gasps as the warm breath of the other girl propelled into her ear. She slid her hands underneath Imogen's shirt and led her fingers up to her bra clasp. "Is this okay?" she whispered. Imogen nodded mindlessly and turned her own attention to the button on Fiona's pants. As she began to unfasten it, she heard a slight buzz coming from the older girl's pocket. The girls looked at each other questioningly. Imogen lingered, hovering over her ex as Fiona pulled out her phone to see who was calling. "It's your mom," she sighed.

Imogen's eyes widened. "Don't answer it. Just let it go to voicemail."

Fiona adjusted herself upwards, causing the younger girl to reluctantly climb off of her lap. "Im, she's probably worried."

"Fine," Imogen surrendered as she grabbed the phone from the outstretched hand. She swiped her finger across the screen then opened the conversation with a frustrated "hello?"

Natalie's voice was half-filled with concern and half-filled with anger. "Imogen! Thank god! Why haven't you been answering your phone? I've been worried sick! It's almost midnight and you said you weren't going to be having a sleepover at Fiona's, so why are you out so late?"

The girl was thunderstruck by her mother's distress. Immediately her head began to clear while her lust began to fade and the severity of her actions started seeping in. _Oh my god_, she thought, _what am I doing? _"Mom, I'm so sorry! My phone was in my purse, and I—I forgot something at Fiona's so I had to come back and get it. I'm leaving now, I'll be home soon!" She hung up the phone in a panic and forced it back into the other girl's hand. "Fiona, this was…I just…" her head was shaking as she grasped for the words to say. "I can't. I'm sorry."

Fiona sat bewildered as she watched her ex quickly stand up and refasten her bra under her shirt before starting towards the door. "Imogen, wait!" she said, while reaching for her own blouse and following the girl to the hall. "Just wait a second, please!" The older girl's voice cracked in desperation.

Imogen turned around after picking up her box from the floor and looked back at Fiona's heartbroken face. She shook her head frantically at the older girl, saying nothing as tears began to fill her eyes. Her direction changed for the stairs and her feet hastened down them, determined to put as much distance between her and her ex as her size seven Converses would allow.

…

It was now 12:20 AM and Imogen was no closer to falling asleep than she was at that time the previous night. She laid in bed, loathing herself for what she had done. She could not believe that in just one day's time she had destroyed everything she and Jack had been building for three months. _I have to tell her, _she decided. Rolling onto her side, she grabbed her phone. Ignoring an earlier message in her inbox from a certain someone, she sent a long overdue message to her girlfriend.

12:21 AM- _I'm sorry if this wakes you and I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to call you tonight—no, that's a lie…I HAD chances to call you, I just was too stupid to take them—for that I am sorry. There's so much that I need to tell you about…would you be able to meet up sometime tomorrow? _

Imogen held her phone on top of her chest, nervous of any response she might get. Ten minutes passed before it alerted her of another message from Fiona. This time she unenthusiastically opened her inbox to view the two messages from the girl, unsure of if she would have the self-control to resist replying.

12:06 AM- _Immy…I know you're upset with what happened but can you please still let me know when you make it home?_

12:31 AM- _This was my fault. It was a mistake for me to come back here after all this time and just expect things to fall back into place. I shouldn't have told you about selling the loft and everything; all that did was confuse your feelings. I wish that I could say we could still be friends, but we both know that can't happen. You and I were never "just friends". I liked you more than as a friend from the very moment you wrapped me in tinfoil. After I finish packing up the loft, I'm going to leave Toronto so that you can really move on this time. I only want you to be happy and I'm truly sorry for causing you to feel anything opposite of that…but can you PLEASE just respond with one word or one letter or anything to let me know that you made it home safely? _

Not having the heart to disregard this last message, Imogen wiped her eyes with her sleeve and typed her last message of the night:

12:34 AM- _I'm home…_

She turned off her phone and set it beside her. Before closing her eyes she glanced at the unopened box she had retrieved from Fiona's and decided that she would wait and open it another day. 


	12. Chapter 12- Switchblades and Infidelity

**Chapter 12-** Switchblades and Infidelity

The morning sunlight burst through the gaps between Imogen's curtains and beamed upon her eyelids, making it impossible for her to keep them closed. She awoke still feeling drained following a long night of tossing and turning. After fumbling for her glasses on the end table, she then slipped them on and peered over at her clock. 7:17 AM—way earlier than she normally chose to start her Saturdays, however she knew Jack was probably already awake and done with her morning jog so she figured now was as good a time as any to begin what would surely be another emotionally taxing day.

Once she powered on her phone, Imogen was surprised to find that she had not received any response from her girlfriend yet. _Maybe she overslept? _she hoped, though she knew it wasn't likely. Jack never overslept—a girl so spontaneous was ironically very predictable in her morning routines. After punching her finger to the top of her "Favorites" contact list, she stood, pacing nervously as she waited to be greeted with Jack's voice on the other side of her call. Straight to voicemail. _Awesome. Just awesome. Now I know how it feels to be ignored._ Imogen sighed, chucked her phone at her pillow, and then made her way into the bathroom to get ready for the rest of the day.

Three hours passed and the girl still had not heard from her girlfriend. Her phone was now almost completely depleted of its battery life from the amount of unanswered calls and texts she had been sending. _Ugh, I have got to get out of this house._ She rose from the couch and tossed the television remote towards her little brother. "I'm going for a walk, okay? When Mom comes inside from the garden just tell her I'll be home before dinner." Her little brother nodded while flipping through the channels. "Also, there's a sea-dragon at the door, he's here to eat all of your toys," she deadpanned. His focus remained undivided from the television. _Children and their cartoons_. Rolling her eyes, she walked to the door and slid her shoes on.

The weather was especially perfect today and Imogen desperately wished that she could be in a better mood to enjoy it. Ordinarily, sunny breezy days were her absolute favorite and nothing could tarnish the happiness they brought her. However, on this particular day her heart was heavy and her mind was extremely weighed down with all she had been feeling recently. It felt like a lifetime of events had occurred in the tiny amount of time Fiona had been back. Everything was just so confusingly complicated now.

Her feet led her to the dog park that she used to bring Volta to before the incident with her father. As she sat on a nearby bench watching the dogs play, her mind drifted across all of the occurrences that had brought her to this very point in her life. She thought about how things had started off so rough with Fiona and how their relationship might have never existed if it wasn't for that particular Saturday detention—_a miracle in disguise_, she decided, because Fiona really was the person who got her through her first senior year. The beautiful socialite had helped her overcome so much—the drama with Eli, her dad's frightening condition, the loss of Volta, her rocky relationship with Natalie…it all would have seemed so impossible without the girl. But then Imogen realized that Jack had helped her overcome something too—her loss of Fiona. This, perhaps, being the biggest pain of all, Jack somehow made it manageable and even made her feel happiness again.

Then it finally clicked—these two wonderful people that both thought the world of Imogen and had done so much for her were the two that she had treated the worst. _I broke up with Fiona because I was so scared of change and of her finding something better. Then I got angry with her and cut her out of my life for doing the exact same thing that I tried to do with Adam—she was just trying to move on. Now she comes back for me, and what do I do? Trample all over her heart again. And Jack—poor, naïve Jack. Spends all of her energy trying to brighten my days and make me laugh and I repay her with pointless lies and hooking up with my ex a mere two days after she comes back to town._ Imogen placed her face into her hands and gave a deep exhale. _I am without a doubt the most selfish person on the planet._ Her train of thought was paused by her cell's alert.

10:48 AM- _The Dot at 11:15 to talk?_

…

Imogen arrived at the restaurant two minutes early. She spotted Jack through the windows instantly, sitting alone at a table in the corner. She stared at the girl remorsefully for a few seconds before crossing over the sidewalk and opening the door.

Jack's mouth formed a half-smile as Imogen approached the table, but Imogen could see her eyes were full of sorrow. _She's upset_. "Hey," she greeted, before leaning down to hug the girl and then taking her own seat. "Been here long?"

"Not too long, just got here a few minutes before you. How has your morning been so far?" Jack was rolling her fingers on the corner of a napkin—one of the girl's nervous habits Imogen had learned.

"It's been quiet. Woke up, got dressed, harassed your phone for a few hours, the usual." She was trying to lighten the mood even though she knew it would probably be pointless considering their upcoming conversation.

Jack forced herself to stop fidgeting with the napkin and focused her attention to her girlfriend. "I'm sorry that I waited so long to respond, I just-" she sighed and took a small sip of her water. "Imogen, I know you lied yesterday. I ended up hanging out with Clare last night and it came up that your class didn't even have a History assignment this weekend." The other girl shifted her eyes down, not having any interest in denying the accusations at this point. "I don't know if you have family stuff going on, or if you really are just sick of spending time with me but it hurts that you-"

"I'm not sick of spending time with you…" the tan girl interrupted. She looked at her girlfriend and felt horrible for making Jack's usually happy demeanor now appear so desolate. "…and I don't have family stuff going on."

"Well then what _is_ it?" She was searching Imogen's face for any kind of answer. "You know that you can tell me anything."

Imogen took in a deep breath and then let it out, knowing that the lies had gone on for too long. The girl deserved to know the truth. "I was with Fiona…"

Jack's head tilted slightly to the side and her eyebrow cocked up. "As in…your _ex_ Fiona?" Her girlfriend nodded. "I thought you said she was in Rome…?"

"She is! Well, she was. She's here now taking care of some stuff before her parents sell their loft. Thursday, after you dropped me off at home, she was inside waiting on me—that's who Natalie was texting me about. Fiona had stopped by to say hello and to catch up and I acted like a complete B-word to her and said a lot of stuff that I didn't mean." Imogen felt Jack's eyes on her as the girl sat listening intently. "Anyway, after I sobered up and stuff, I felt super guilty about it and apologized—that's why I was so weird at school the next day; it wasn't anything you did." A small smile lifted on her girlfriend's face, and Imogen felt a sharp pain in her chest. She didn't want Jack getting any hopes up, because this story was only going to get worse from here. "She texted me back saying she had stuff still at her loft from when we dated and told me that she could drop it off to my house or I could go get it. I went and got it after school yesterday…that's where I was. Not writing a history assignment, obviously."

"Imogen, I don't see why you didn't just tell me. I mean, I know you have a past and have had other relationships before me, and I know how you and Fiona's relationship was; I've heard kids talking about it at school. You could have just told me the truth" She was now reaching for her girlfriend's resting tan hand.

Imogen squeezed the other girl's hand tightly, knowing this might be the last time she would be able to do so. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you."

"I wouldn't have freaked! I'm pretty cool, in case you haven't noticed," Jack teased. "Besides, I trust you. And I'm glad you finally told me what was going on. Now we can have a super awesome lunch date and hmm…dessert at your place later?"

Imogen tried with all of her might to force out the rest of the story, but it was stuck in her throat, refusing to dislodge. All she managed to muster out was an "I'm not that hungry."

Pushing the menus to the side, Jack motioned for the waiter to come to their table. "Okay then, we don't have to eat. We'll just get some juice instead and then head over to your place?" The waiter arrived before Imogen had a chance to respond. "I'll have a Kiwi-grape, and she'll have a…?"

"A banana, strawberry, and mango with a dash of cinnamon," Imogen finished for her.

"Jeez, Im, must you always get the same thing every time? Why not try something new once in a while?" The waiter was now walking away from the girls.

"Why get something new when I've already found something that I love?" she questioned, while pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Jack adjusted her posture to a more upright position, as if preparing to educate the other girl. "Because, Moreno, what if you try something new and discover that you love it even more than you ever loved the first thing? You would have gone your whole life without ever knowing just how amazing new things can be."

Imogen removed her hand from Jack's, feeling strangely defensive over her favorite drink. "Well what if you try the new juice and it's _not_ as good? Granted it might still be very tasty and quench your thirst, isn't trying new juices just wasting time that you could have been spending with what you already know in your soul to be your favorite juice?"

Jack's smile slowly faded as her face changed into a perplexed expression, keeping her eyes steady on her girlfriend. "Imogen…are we still just talking about juice…?"

Having had enough of that conversation, she set out to finish what she started. "I don't understand how you can just trust me so easily. I tell you that I lied to you and blew you off to hang out with Fiona and you just hold my hand and tell me that you trust me? And then what? We go on about our day and talk about juice like nothing happened?"

The young dancer's fingers had now found their way back to the napkin. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them, determined to finally express what she felt for the girl. "I'm in love with you, Imogen. I have been for a while, I just didn't know how to say it." Her voice was now growing in enthusiasm. "I trust you because you're the most amazing person in my life and being with you makes me feel incredible. I'm not going to let your silly little lie about History homework come between us. I know that the only reason you didn't tell me about visiting with your ex is because you didn't want me to stress over it," she smiled, feeling a weight lift off of her shoulders.

"I kissed Fiona!" Imogen blurted out a little too loudly, causing a few nearby customers to look at her with disdain. Embarrassed, she mouthed a silent apology to the people around them. Lowering her voice, she then finished her thought. "Yesterday at Fi's loft, I kissed her. We had decided that we would try and still be friends and I had my stuff in my hands and I was telling myself over and over just to leave but then I was kissing her and I couldn't stop. It's like something just came over me, I wasn't even thinking."

Jack's stared at her expressionless. It was as if the words were all sinking in one at a time. After a few seconds, she silently raised her hand and motioned at the waiter. "Can we cancel the drinks, please?" The boy nodded then moved on to the next table.


	13. Chapter 13- It's Hard to Say I Do

**Chapter 13-** It's Hard to Say "I Do" When I Don't

"Please say something." The girls had been staring at each other in silence for a couple of minutes now. "Jack…"

"Can we go outside and have this conversation without an audience? Although, it's not like it really matters being as you just broadcasted your infidelity for the entire restaurant to hear—thanks for that embarrassment by the way—but still I could use some fresh air." There wasn't even a hint of forgiveness in the girl's tone. Each word was enunciated perfectly as she continued glaring at her girlfriend.

Imogen collected her purse and stood up motioning her hand outward signaling for the other girl to lead the way. "After you." They walked a small distance from The Dot until they found a spot secluded enough for Jack's approval. There was a small patch of grass for them to sit on. "Jack, you _have_ to know that I never meant for anything like this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you. This is all just so-"

"I can't believe that I just told you that I loved you only to have you reply with THAT," she cut her off. "So _NOT_ how I imagined the first time I would say those words to someone."

The emptiness in her girlfriend's eyes killed Imogen. "I am so sorry." She scoffed at herself. "I've been apologizing so much these past couple of days that the words almost feel meaningless now. I wish there was a whole new phrase that I could say to you that would somehow express all of the regret I feel for what I did."

"You know you were my first _real_ girlfriend?" The young girl didn't really have much interest in what Imogen was saying. "I'd always just hooked up with girls casually, never wanting a relationship or anything. Then I met you and I don't know what happened. You fascinated me. I found it amazing how you could be so adorable and quirky while at the same time being so seductive and desirable. It was so easy to fall for you." She turned her head to face the street. "I honestly thought you felt the same way about me. I mean, a couple of weeks ago when we…" her voice trailed. "You had said that I was your first. Was that just another lie?"

"Of course not!" the eccentric girl countered. "You _were _my first." Jack's attention stayed fixed towards the street. "Can you please just look at me?" Imogen brought her hand up to her girlfriend's cheek and delicately turned it until their eyes met.

"I just don't understand. I had assumed that you wanting to have that experience with _me_ meant that you cared more about me than anyone else you had been in a relationship with…that you _loved_ me." Her voice was saturated with devastation.

Imogen adjusted her legs as they were starting to cramp. She thought about how to tell the other girl that their encounter had been more about the experience itself and less about being in love. All the words she came up with seemed to cheapen how much that occurrence had meant to her because truthfully that night held a very special place in her heart. "I've done a lot of stuff this year that I never thought I would do—smoked pot, drank alcohol,-"

"Me." Jack's eyes were remaining dry, but Imogen could tell how much they were begging to flood the world. "Was this just some 'new you' that you wanted to try? Being with the 'bad girl' so that you could broaden your horizons?" Jack shook her head in dismay. "I guess I was just a place-holder until _she_ came back—a distraction."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." Imogen pressed her fingers to the temple of her head, frustrated that she could not figure out how to explain herself. "I loved being with you. Every single second we spent together was genuine and you brought so much life back into me that I hadn't felt in a long time. I owe you so much for that, and you deserved way better than how I treated you. You are so, so talented, and exciting, and literally the sweetest person I've ever met, and-"

"But I'm not Fiona."

Hearing Jack say those four words shattered Imogen's heart. She didn't want the girl comparing herself to Fiona, because none of this was about either of them. It was about Imogen—she was the one who had caused this and she was the only one that deserved to feel any inadequacy in the situation.

"Hey guys!" Their heads lifted to see Becky skipping towards them. "I knew it was you! I was just at the bookstore across the street and saw that braided bun that I would recognize anywhere," she giggled, motioning towards Jack's up-do. "What are you guys up to?" She sat down next to Imogen.

"Hey…actually now isn't the best time, Becks," Imogen said softly with a half-grin on her face.

"Oh…?" the blonde questioned. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is great." Jack was now shifting her gaze between Becky and her girlfriend. "We're just chatting about affairs, unrequited love, breaking up…a typical Saturday," she quipped sarcastically. Becky's eyes widened.

Imogen's face dropped at the words 'breaking up', but at the same time she was somewhat relieved that she wouldn't have to be the one to initiate it.

"Wow…well this is incredibly awkward." Baffled, she turned to face her best friend, who only responded with a small nod. "All right then…so I'm gonna go." After standing up and brushing the back of her shorts with her hands, she looked back down at her best friend. "Call me later?" Becky waited for Imogen to agree and then departed quite hastily in a different direction.

Jack cleared her throat and returned her attention to the girl sitting in front of her. "Are we done here? I have some other stuff that I could be doing today."

For one final time Imogen admired the other girl's features, observing every contour of her face and highlighting every fleck of color her eyes. "Yeah…we're done here." It wasn't exactly how she wanted their last exchange to end, as there was still so much more that she wanted to say to the girl, but she realized that for once this shouldn't be about what _she_ wanted, but about what Jack wanted. And what Jack desperately needed at that time was for this conversation to be over in any way, shape, or form so that she could begin her own long and painful journey of moving on from a first love.

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**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews that you guys have been posting! I love reading them after each chapter-it encourages me to get my updates out fast lol. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter...still more to come with this story :)**


	14. Chapter 14- Growing Up

**Chapter 14-** Growing Up

Missing her dad's wisdom now more than ever, the girl stopped by her father's house after leaving her most recent disaster. She was praying up above to anyone that might be listening for her father to be lucid today. _Just one day. One hour. One minute. Anything, please._ Her hand hovered next to the door as she noted how sad it was that she had to knock at her own father's house. After three hopeful thumps, Imogen stood waiting for whatever random fate was behind the door. The nurse-aid answered. _Bad sign._

"Hey there, Imogen, here to visit?"

_I shouldn't have to 'visit' in the home I have lived in almost my entire life_, she thought, hating the choice of words that the nurse had used. "How is Dad today?" Directly to the point—today was not a day for small talk.

As soon as the older woman gave Imogen the first sign of a frown, the girl knew that her prayers had not been answered. "Today isn't one of his good days, unfortunately. He's been very confused all day and has had some temper flare-ups. Maybe it would be best if you came back at another time? I just don't want anything making him more upset than he already is."

"Right. Got it," she whispered, turning away from the nurse. Her pace quickened even though she knew that she was truly in a hurry to go nowhere.

…

Not yet ready to go inside and face reality, Imogen was sitting on the stoop of her mother's house watching the world in motion around her. Everything that had occurred in her life seemed like such a clichéd sob story. Here she was, this weird girl in high school that had been abandoned by her mother, forgotten by her father, teased by the 'in-crowd', manipulated by her first crush, left by her first love, and now hated by the person she had grown closest to this year. It was all just too much to wrap her head around for only having been on this Earth eighteen short years. _Do all teenagers have to deal with this? Is this what 'normal' high school experiences are supposed to feel like?_ Imogen recalled hearing her peers stress over trivial things such as prom dates and cheerleading tryouts and immediately determined that her problems were far from the 'norm'. _For once I'd just like my life to be simple—to only have to worry about prom dates and tryouts would be a small taste of paradise._

Her gaze drifted from one scene to the next as she continued sitting and bearing the weight of unhappiness and regret on her shoulders. She wanted to cry. She wanted to crawl into a cave and shut herself off from everything—to forget about school, and girlfriends, and boyfriends, and dementia, and all of the other crap that had caused her so much heartache. But as her mind was spiraling down into this hole, a neighbor drove by giving a small honk accompanied by a wave and she realized something—the sun was still shining as gorgeously as it had been last week and the week before that; the children across the street were still playing, bouncing along to their never-ending game of hopscotch; and each neighbor still waved at her as they passed by. This situation she had gotten herself into was not the end of the world. Life continued moving on, and she could too. She grabbed her bag from the step and entered her home with a brand new appreciation for all that remained in it.

"Hey, Sweetie," Natalie greeted her as soon as her pink Converse passed the threshold. It was obvious that the red-head had been awaiting her daughter's arrival. "How's your day been going? Did you see Fiona again today? Or Jack, perhaps?" she grinned inquisitively.

Imogen looked at her mother's curious eyes and for the first time saw them in the way most teenagers would see their mother's eyes—prying, nosey, and irksome. Natalie was intruding into the young girl's social life, irritatingly eager to hear any detail that would be offered up about the drama in her daughter's life…and it was perfect. It was the exact moment she had been waiting for since she was a little girl who laid awake dreaming of having a relationship with a mom. Imogen broke down in tears at her mother's incessant questioning. "Mom!" she cried and laughed, "you are SO annoying!" The hysterical girl crossed the distance and fell into her mother's arms, squeezing as tightly as she could while Natalie, though bewildered, reciprocated.

"Is everything okay, Im?" the older woman whispered while holding on to her child.

Imogen slightly let up on her grip and tilted her head up to face her mom. "No, everything is not okay. But it will be," she said, and then pulled her mom to the couch to fill her in on every single detail of her outrageously complicated life.

…

"You smoked? _And_ drank?" Natalie was baffled at her daughter's open admission of these details.

The young brunette shifted her eyes from side to side. "I was kiiiiind of hoping that wouldn't be a too big of an issue…especially since I said that it was _only_ once and I never want to do them again!" She was hoping that perhaps hearing all of the emotional drama that she had been through would cause her mom to overlook these minor misdemeanors.

"Oh, it is _definitely_ an issue…" Natalie saw her daughter's face sink at her impending verdict. "…but perhaps one that we can deal with later?" Her voice lightened as she smiled and filled Imogen with instant relief.

"Thanks, Mom." Settling her feet on the arm of the couch and laying her head on a pillow propped against her mother's lap, Imogen couldn't help but think that this was what laying on a cloud in heaven must feel like. "I've just made such a humungous mess of things, you know?"

Natalie brushed a strand of hair out of the girl's face, admiring the innocence in her daughter's giant brown eyes. "Imogen, you've made some questionable decisions lately, to say the least." She let out a sigh. "But you're a teenager—you're allowed to be selfish and make mistakes every now and then, as long as you learn from them and try to do better. It's all just part of growing up." The woman gave a small, playful pinch to Imogen's nose. "If I'm being honest, things will seem terrible for a while. You'll be sad and heartbroken, wondering what you could have done better. But then eventually you will think about it less and less until one day you won't even understand how such a tiny chapter of your life could have caused you so much anxiety."

Imogen closed her eyes, soaking up every ounce of advice that her mother was showering her with. "What do I do in the meantime? Like until it doesn't suck anymore?"

"Well," Natalie leaned her head back into the cushion, "until then there's Harry Potter," she grinned, knowing her daughter way more than the girl suspected.

Imogen contently turned into her mom, giving her another sincere hug. "I can live with that."

They sat there for a while in peaceful silence, enjoying the presence of one another. Imogen could feel her eyes growing heavy as her head remained on her mother's lap. "So did you ever look and see what all was in the box Fiona gave you?" Natalie's whisper had broken through the quiet, but it was soothing enough to keep Imogen in her daze.

"Not yet," the young girl murmured while drifting into her dreams. "Not yet."


	15. Chapter 15- The Take Over

**A/N: This was my favorite chapter to write so far, so I really hope everyone loves it as much as I do. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! (Also, I'm debating with myself on whether I want to try and close this story up soon and maybe start something new or if I should continue on in this story. Let me know if you guys want this story continued on for a while or if you'd like it tied up in the next chapter or two.) As always, thanks for reading!**

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**Chapter 15-** The Take Over, The Breaks Over

Imogen spent her Sunday at home, relaxing with her family. It was nice not having a day filled with tears or drama, but instead filled with her siblings' laughter and home-cooked meals. It turned out that a loving, though slightly chaotic household was the perfect medicine for fresh heartache. She wished that she could have realized this sooner…about eight months sooner to be exact.

When Monday morning rolled around, the young girl was still uneasy about going back to school and sitting through a class with her new ex. Her mother agreed that she could have one more day off so long as she wouldn't miss anything important and that she promised to return to classes on Tuesday without any rebuttals. Doctor's excuses were fairly easy to come by in that house, after all.

Very satisfied with this deal, Imogen ran back upstairs and snuggled into her blankets to return to her dreams. It wasn't until after 10:30 AM that she re-awoke to a now empty home. She let out a big yawn and stretched out her limbs, enjoying the warmth of the sun peeking in through her windows. After she rose from her bed, she brushed her teeth, put on her favorite outfit, and fixed her hair into the perkiest of buns. She stared at herself contently in the mirror and then let her mind run through the possibilities of how she could spend her extra vacation day. _Ice-cream_, she thought, _one can never go wrong with ice-cream. _As she was walking out of her bedroom, she slipped her camera strap over her head and grabbed her purse before the stagnant brown box caught her attention and piqued her interest.

The girl racked her brain trying to remember what she could have possibly left at Fiona's apartment all that time ago. She was not usually one to forget her possessions at places, and she had rarely brought many things to the loft anyway (with the exception of basic sleepover essentials, of course). Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, she dropped her purse, grabbed the box, and then plopped down on her bed. _Ice cream can wait. _

As Imogen opened the flaps, she was besotted with the aroma of the other girl's loft. It made her wish that she had a million Fiona Coyne boxes to keep close-by so that she could open one whenever her heart desired. Peeking inside, her eyes began to notice many familiar items. Lip-gloss and mascara—probably left from the girls' prom night, a couple pairs of her wacky toe-socks, a green phone charger. She was shocked at the number of things that she didn't even realize were missing. Her stack of old treasures grew larger and larger as she continued to pull out the many pieces of her past that were stashed inside. She especially loved finding her old sketchbook that had the designs of her and Fiona's mini-model within it, complete with the socialite's handwritten note '_Hot tub goes here!_' scribbled beside a small feminine arrow that was pointing to one of the rooms.

She reached back inside of the box and her fingers hit a soft cushy fabric. As she pulled it out and realized what it was, her mouth cracked into a huge smile. The sweatshirt was not even hers, but was Fiona's (one of the very few non-designer garments that the young fashionista owned.) It was jet black with an open shoulder neckline and spread across the front of it was the pink phrase "I'd rather be in NYC". Though Imogen had only witnessed her ex actually wearing it on one sole occasion, she herself had worn it a countless number of times. The piece of clothing had first made its debut on a January night when the girls were watching movies at the loft and Imogen complained of being cold. Being as the younger girl was already entombed in blankets, Fiona decided to try something else. She soon returned with the sweatshirt pulled over top of the clothes she was already wearing and stated with a seductive grin that she would allow Imogen to wear the garment under one condition—"That you come and get it from me." One ignored movie and two make-out sessions later, Imogen was wearing what she could only imagine was the most warm and cozy sweatshirt in the entire world. After that night, anytime the quirky girl would get cold she would run into the older girl's room and slip on the piece of clothing, remembering fondly how hard she had worked to get it.

As she continued clinging on to the precious black fabric, she looked inside to see that only two items remained in the box—a long jewelry box and a thick envelope. Opening the jewelry box, she saw what was the first item from the package that she didn't recognize. It was a beautiful thin, but solid, platinum bracelet with a dainty Ferris-wheel charm hanging from it. Confused by the unfamiliar piece, she set it to the side and slid her finger through the seal of the envelope. Within it, Imogen discovered a long letter from Fiona and a dense stack of airline vouchers. Her eyes quickly began to travel through her ex's beautifully handwritten words and she soon realized that this was a letter penned just three days ago—the same morning that Fiona had texted the girl about her forgotten possessions.

_-Im…Immy…Imogen (I don't really know what you want me to call you anymore),_

_ I'm writing you this because I'm not sure where our lives will go from here, or if we will even be in each other's at all. Last night at your house it was obvious that you were upset with me and really didn't want me there. Maybe one day you'll tell me what I did to cause you so much misery and maybe you won't. Regardless of this, I have so many things that I want to say to you before we possibly go our separate ways and I also want to explain a couple of things that you may have found strange inside the box…I'll start with that…_

_ The sweatshirt was one of the few things that I brought with me to Rome (most of my clothes I left here, deciding that I would treat myself to a fabulous shopping spree as soon as my plane touched down.) Well the sweatshirt…it reminded me of you. You wore it more than I did, after all. _

_Being on an entirely different continent than every person I knew was very lonely at first, to say the least—I mean, you know how horrible I am at meeting new people (once an awkward diva, always an awkward diva), so most of my first nights there consisted of me crying in my room missing my family, my friends, and most of all YOU. But clinging to the sweatshirt brought me back home. My safety blanket, of sorts, that was sewn together by memories of us—my happiest memories. Anytime I would start to feel sad or find myself craving the sweet tasting escape of Champagne, I just hugged onto the garment tighter and tighter, remembering us until I fell asleep. Eventually, I began to feel more at home in the enormous city and was finally able to meet wonderful new friends, but I always kept the shirt close…just in case. For this I want to thank you—Thank you so much for saving me, even if you didn't know you were doing it._

_ Now that I'm back home, I can see how you've moved on. Everything feels different between us, and honestly, looking at the piece of clothing breaks my heart because of how things ended up. I can't hold onto it anymore, so I figured I would put it in the box since you loved wearing it so much. Pretty weird for you to have an ex-girlfriend's old sweatshirt, I know, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Maybe you will be able to._

_ Moving on to strange items numbers 2 and 3—the bracelet and plane vouchers. These date back to my graduation. After our big fight on prom night about me leaving, I wanted to prove to you how serious I was about us—how confident I was that we could make the long-distance work. I bought you that bracelet and those vouchers and had planned to surprise you with them on the night of my graduation. Obviously, things didn't go quite as I had planned for them to. Not knowing what to do with the stuff, I left them tucked away at the loft deciding to deal with all of it later. I guess now is later._

_ I want you to take the vouchers and use them. Originally they were so that you could fly to Rome as often as possible, but they can be used to go anywhere in the world (you just have to book online at least two weeks in advance.) These don't expire, so you don't have to feel rushed to use them, but Imogen you NEED to use them. It doesn't have to be weird that these are from me—just consider it a present for your upcoming graduation or something. I know you said that you'd rather just read about the world from your comfy chair, but I also know how much you love taking pictures of extraordinary things and how much you appreciate remarkable architecture, so just get over yourself and take a break from that comfy chair once in a while. _

_ The bracelet you can do with as you wish. Trash it? Maybe donate it or something? I don't know; you're creative so I'm sure you'll think of something..._

_ Before I finish writing this, I just want to make sure I say everything that's been on my mind—You have meant so much to me. You always will. I thought my second senior year was going to be absolutely miserable but instead it turned out to be the greatest year of my life so far. As I pack up my loft, I'm overwhelmed by how the entire place reminds me of you. It makes the idea of selling it off to some stranger so ridiculously hard to grasp. But then I think about how lucky I was to have someone that could make saying goodbye to a loft so difficult. Some people have to search their entire lives for that kind of person._

_Though our relationship didn't last forever, it was real. I have zero regrets. I truly believe that you and I were the perfect fit…we just weren't in the perfect situation. I hope that you find someone (or have found someone) that is perfect in both of these aspects. If anyone deserves happiness, it is Imogen Moreno. _

_Sorry this letter was so long, I tend to ramble whenever I'm feeling emotional. Hopefully it didn't bore you to sleep or cause you any trouble with your girlfriend. If it did, I'm really sorry. I just didn't want to leave without you knowing what an impact you've had on me._

_-The Ever Fabulous,  
Fiona Celestine Arabella Coyne_

_P.S.: I'm moving back to New York soon to start a new job, so if you ever want to use one of those vouchers to catch up with an old friend, you know where to find me…_

Imogen read the letter again. Then a third time, absorbing and cherishing every word that Fiona had gifted her with. The sweatshirt in her lap was now slightly moist from the tears that had escaped her eyes. She finally folded the papers up neatly and delicately set them to her side, turning her attention back to the small bracelet. It was beautiful—shiny, but not gaudy; thin, but solid—the exact kind of thing that Imogen would wear. Seeing the dangling metal Ferris wheel brought her back to their first kiss and her heart filled at the memory of how incredible a night that had been. Continuing to admire the piece of jewelry, she flipped it over to discover that there was a small inscription engraved on the inside—_Soul mates yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Think not of the miles, but remember only our smiles. _

The young girl smiled at the perfect words, slipped on the bracelet, and then rapidly reached for her phone to write her own little message, hoping she wasn't too late.

11:58 AM- _Did you leave yet?_


	16. Chapter 16- Just One Yesterday

**Chapter 16-** Just One Yesterday

Imogen stretched out her legs along the couch, sifting through pictures of houses on her camera. They had narrowed it down to two—both of which seemed like a perfect fit for the girls' eccentric but cozy lifestyle. "It really just comes down to if we would prefer a bigger yard or an extra bedroom, Fi."

"I just can't believe we're finally going to be leaving this place," Fiona said, moving her eyes around the walls of the loft. "It just seems like the end of such an amazing era."

The younger girl glanced up from her Canon d-SLR to stare at her breathtakingly beautiful fiancée. "It's not the end of an era, Fiones. It's the continuation of one." Imogen snuggled up closer to Fiona, allowing the older girl's arm to wrap around her. Her eyes closed, enamored by the coziness that the socialite offered. As her eyes slowly drifted shut and her fingers fiddled with the dainty bracelet on her wrist, she thought of the place they had called home for so long now and of that unforgettable day three years ago when she had pleaded for Fiona to keep it…

…

12:02 PM—_I'm still here. Leaving tomorrow._

As soon as Imogen's brain registered the text, she darted out of her mother's house and headed straight towards Fiona's—she didn't even want to waste the few seconds it would take to reply. Standing in front of the girl's door, Imogen found that she was just as nervous to be there as she had been that past Friday. However, this time it was for a completely different reason.

"Don't sell the loft." The young girl's face was fixated on her ex's as her mouth blurted the words.

Fiona's brow shifted up as her head tilted to the side. "Immy…what are you doing here?"

Immediately, she placed her tan hands around the other girl's soft pale ones and guided her further into the home. "Fiona, you can't sell the loft. It's not just a place with four walls and a floor and a roof…it's _us. _This entire place is saturated with memories of _us." _

The older girl glanced down at her ex's hands, enjoying her touch. Her eyes lingered on the bracelet as she noticed it dangling from the girl's tiny wrist. "I don't understand…" she hesitated.

"Stand right here." Imogen placed her hands on the other girl's shoulders and coaxed her into standing next to the table in the dining area. "Right here is where I told you that we were soul mates. The words had escaped right out of my mouth, and I was so nervous about how you would react or if you would figure out how I felt about you…but, Fiona, I meant them so much. You were just…you _are_ just so…" the girl shook her head at a loss for words as she steered Fiona into the living room. "This is where I held you as you pleaded for me to never leave you after that man broke in. I could have sat in that spot forever with you, feeling your head on my shoulder. I'm so sorry that I didn't keep my promise from that night. I should have never let you out of my life."

Fiona had tears forming in her eyes as she listened to her young ex's trembling desperate voice. "Imogen, it's okay. I understand why you did what you had to do." She leaned in to give the other girl a small hug. "You don't have to feel guilty about moving on. I will be all right," the socialite assured softly.

"Fi, just look around." Imogen lifted her finger and shifted its point around the loft. "Over there is where you made me breakfast after our first sleepover—you apologized a trillion times for burning the eggs, but I thought they tasted better than any other eggs I had ever had before."

Fiona chuckled. "Then we really have got to expand your egg-experience."

"I'm not finished yet!" She shifted their attention towards the coffee table. "I'll always remember this as where we spent all night taking Cosmopolitan quizzes, convinced that our relationship could pass any silly magazine test. It took us about twenty minutes per question because you have the hormone supply of a teenage boy," Imogen blushed. "And on that DVD player we have watched more Olivia Wilde movies that I can count on two hands. I didn't even know that many existed!"

"She's a talented actress!" Fiona defended.

Letting out a sigh, Imogen dropped her head into her hands, running her fingers through her hair. "Ugh, you're not getting it!" Frustrated, she pulled the girl into the bedroom and positioned Fiona directly next to the bed, locking her stare into the girl's glacial blue eyes before continuing. "Right there," she said while pointing to the bed, "right there is where I told you that-"

"That you loved me," Fiona interrupted.

A smile crept across Imogen's face, feeling relieved that her ex had remembered that day all those months ago. "Yes…exactly," she breathed. "Fi, don't let your parents get rid of the loft. You said that you asked them for time to come and see if there was still something—_someone_—here for you…there is." Imogen lifted her ex's hand up and placed it against her heart. "_Me_."

"Im…" The fashionista looked at the young girl compassionately, "I so wish things were that easy… I came here and I threw all of this stuff on you and now you're confused about what you're feeling—being here and remembering all of the good times we had...it's messing with your head."  
Imogen dropped the other girl's hand. "I'm not confused!"

"Thursday you hated me…the very next day you made-out with me and then bolted. Saturday and Sunday I didn't hear from you at all…and now you're here telling me what? That you want to be with me again?" Fiona slowly sat on the bed, feeling defeated. "I can't keep doing this, Imogen. It's too hard."

Imogen sat next to the curly haired brunette on the bed. Her stare was moving along the texture of the floor as she registered each of her ex's words. "I don't want to lose you again. I just…I love you so much, Fiona, and I can't imagine a future that doesn't have you in it." A deep exhale escaped her lungs as she turned to face the other girl. "You're right about one thing—these past few days have been such a roller-coaster. I'm a complete mess. I've made so many bad decisions and it kills me how I treated you and Jack in all of this…I know how entirely crazy it seems that I would be here two days after my girlfriend and I broke up, begging for you to keep this place..." her voice trailed. Fiona placed a consoling hand Imogen's shoulder. "But you're wrong about me being confused. I'm _not_ confused about what I want—who I want."

"Immy, it's just not the right-"

Imogen held her finger up to the other girl's lips. "Stop. Just listen." The socialite's eyes widened as she was silenced. "I know that we've got a long way to go. I have a lot of stuff that I need to work on and figure out for myself. I lost a big part of who I was this year, and before I jump headfirst into another relationship I really need to get that back. Until that happens, we can just be friends if that's what you want." She brought up her sleeve to dab a tear. "But please, do not get rid of the loft. Don't give up on us." The young girl laid her cheek on the hand that was resting upon her shoulder. "Please."

Fiona remained quiet for a few minutes, watching her ex's face rise and fall with each breath. Finally, she shifted her weight backwards so that they could both lie against the pillows that were propped up on the headboard. "Hmm…friends until then…?" she inquired, "…the kind of friends that talk on the phone every day and Skype occasionally despite all of the 'creepy pervs' that may or may not be hacking into your computer?"

Imogen rolled her eyes dramatically, though was very delighted to hear the other girl speak up. "I _guess _we could be that type of friends," she conceded reluctantly. "And the type of friends that don't date other people…"

"Obvi!" the older girl agreed with a small laugh, as she pulled Imogen into a warm embrace. "We'll also need to visit each other as much as our schedules allow…to make sure that this friendship can include lots of hugs, of course."

The quirky girl nodded her head. "It would simply be a crime for me not to use most of those airline vouchers for New York trips, Miss Coyne."

The pair continued lying on the bed, setting the terms of their new friendship. Once they were both in agreement over mandatory shopping dates, encouraged handholding, and occasional future kisses, Fiona took it upon herself to change the subject.

"Sooo…you forgot a spot in the loft earlier."

Confused, Imogen looked up at the older girl. "Huh?"

"When you were taking me around, talking about all of the memorable places in the loft…you forgot a spot," she punctuated with a gentle poke to the girl's side.

"Oh…" the tan girl replied while trying to recall all of the places she had mentioned. "Where?"

Fiona smiled at her new friend and began to pull her up from off of the bed. "Come see," she whispered as she started leading her out of the bedroom. Holding on to her hands, she guided her up the black metal stairs in the living room until they were at the very top, overlooking the girl's loft. "Riiiight here," the socialite said as she scooted Imogen over exactly three inches.

"Umm…I don't recall anything happening here, Fiones. Are you sure you're not thinking of something else?"

Fiona let out a scoff, with faked disappointment. "Imogen Moreno, I am absolutely appalled that you would not remember the spot where I first told you that I loved you, too." Her face quickly shifted into a grin as she waited for the younger girl to register her admission.

Imogen cocked her head to the side. "But you never told me that you-" When her brain finally caught up to Fiona's words she felt her heart begin to race. "Fiona!" She quickly pulled the girl into a tight embrace and then greeted her lips to share one of their allowed occasional kisses.

"We are really going to suck at this whole 'just-friends' thing, huh?" Fiona joked while giving the younger girl a small tickle above her waist.

As she squirmed away, Imogen tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and then brought her gaze back to the other girl's piercing eyes. "Yeah…maybe we should be 'just-soul mates' instead?"

"Hmm…'just-soul mates'…" the older girl pondered. "It just might work."

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**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the feedback! You guys made writing my first fan-fic a wonderful experience! Going to take a short break before diving into another one (Not really sure what/who I would want to write about yet). I WILL be back though! :)**


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